6 sent to court in elevator accident case

A Turkish prosecutor sent six people to court for arrest on Wednesday in connection with an elevator accident that killed 10 workers in a construction site in Istanbul, said police. Five others were released, Anadolu Agency reported.

Ten workers died on Saturday after an elevator plunged to the ground from the thirty-second story of a large construction site in the city's commercial district, Mecidiyekoy.

Five people, including the construction site chief and executive managers from the construction and elevator company, had been questioned by a prosecutor in Istanbul's Caglayan Court Hall on Tuesday.

Another six were brought to court on Wednesday for questioning.

All activity has been halted on the construction site following the disaster as the investigation continues.

Meanwhile, an inspection committee has been assigned to investigate the case by the office of the prime minister. It will present a report to Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc had said on Monday.

Turkey ranks first in Europe and third in the world for fatal work accidents, according to International Labor Organization figures.

The organization says 18 out of 100,000 insured laborers die every year in work-related accidents, seven times greater than the EU average of 2.5.